


feeling emotions pt 2

by insectcondo



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Comfort, Half-Life VR But the AI is Self-Aware, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insectcondo/pseuds/insectcondo
Summary: Benrey has a psychotic episode and Tommy is there to help him.
Relationships: Benrey & Tommy Coolatta
Comments: 3
Kudos: 88





	feeling emotions pt 2

**Author's Note:**

> a reversal of the last story i wrote. comfort and grounding. :-)

Benrey sat huddled under a table in the break-room. He was muttering to himself and felt an innate fear that everyone knew everything about him. His vision had spots in it, his eyes refused to focus and his face and hands were numb. 

Tommy found him under there and crawled under the table with him, despite he had to sit like a frog to fit. 

Tommy brushed his arm against Benrey's and Benrey's reaction time was even slower than usual and he noticed the touch a few seconds later, but his brain didn't fully register it. 

Tommy touched him again, this time on the cheek, and let his hand linger. 

"Huh, wha-?" Benrey's eyes slowly focused like manually tuning a camera lens and saw Tommy staring back at him. 

"Hi, Benrey," Tommy spoke in a lower voice, to avoid startling Benrey. "Are you somewhere else right now?"

"Huh?"

Tommy nodded. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a can of soda, somehow still cold. 

"Can you give me your hands, Benrey?" 

Benrey squinted, not understanding.

Tommy nodded, then took one of Benrey's arms, which was limp, and started rolling up the sleeve. He rolled it up to the elbow then placed the cold can on the exposed skin.

"AH?" Benrey gasped and flinched, which was a good sign to Tommy who was looking for reactions. He took the can away and put it in his hands. Benrey gripped it automatically.

"Can you come back here, Benrey?"

".........yes?," Benrey said absently.

"Focus on the can, do you feel how cold that is, it will bring you back here."

"......can. Cold." 

"Yes! Good," Tommy praised him, "What do you see right now?"

"Uh... the room.... you..."

"How are you feeling?"

Benrey's eyes unfocused again, and he slumped over, and then his head was resting against Tommy's shoulder.

"Nice, now. Thank you. I will just sit now."

They sat like that in silence for a while, Tommy drinking the soda, and checking over to see if Benrey was doing alright. His face was just blank of all expression, so he was probably still dissociating. 

After a while, Benrey stirred. He moved his head back up and looked at Tommy with heavy-lidded eyes, then he uttered, a rough guttural laugh.

Tommy was not altogether convinced since the laugh was dry and fake. He raised his eyebrows in concern.

"Benrey, is there anything else I can do for you? Are you here?"

"You're sweet as shit, you know that?"

Tommy lit up then, his smile so wide it looked like it would have broken past his face. 

"How are you doing now?"

Benrey took Tommy's hand in his own, and his sideways, crooked smirk replaced the blank, dead expression on his face. 

"Not 100%, but - but better. My - my brain is never functioning at 100%"

"Oh! I'm glad to hear that, Benrey," Tommy's voice rose excitedly. 

"Fucked up how like, no one else even noticed I was having an episode," he muttered. "Like everyone fucken hates me, I'm convinced of that shit."

Tommy let him vent and listened quietly. 

"I care about you, Benrey. You are important to me! You're irreplaceable, just like Sunkist, but in a different way, because you're not a dog."

Benrey cracked a grin at that. 

"Keep talking like that, we might have us some problems," Benrey teased.

"Wait, what problems?" Tommy sounded distressed.

"Like this," Benrey kissed Tommy's cheek, who immediately turned bright red. 

"But, but but Benrey, that's like the opposite of a problem, it's like an anti-problem."

"Why don't I be your anti-problem, then?"

"Why don't we get up and go get some soda, my legs are going to start cramping up, and I think you could use the calories."

Tommy stood up and stretched his legs. Benrey came out soon after. 

"Thank you, again, it uh helped a lot."

"You should learn grounding techniques. It would help when you get into that sort of dissociative state."

"I don't know what that means."

"OK, well, why don't you meditate with me sometime?"

"Sure. Yeah, I will."

They were walking up to the soda machine when Benrey hugged Tommy. It was a strong hug filled with everything he didn't know how to say. Tommy hugged back with vigor and rested his chin on the top of Benrey's helmet and smiled.

"I'm always here for you, Benrey, you don't have to be afraid and alone."


End file.
